Marking two decades since the legendary game hit the market across the Atlantic, providing players everywhere the means to feel like rock legends. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who's mastered the epic four-minute instrumental break in front of a packed living-room audience.
Developed by Harmonix, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues moving along the display in time with the music. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, producing the feel of a genuine live show.
Harmonix previously tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise that had a significant influence for many musicians featured, showcasing classic groups to millions of younger players.
A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – even though initial releases primarily featured cover versions.
“We rerecorded all the music since the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. But once the game took off, and record sales and radio play increased, all artists desired to participate.”
He adds: “One of the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the songs they adored. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”
Timeless Music Gains a New Audience
Northern Irish group one featured act had their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls the way the game brought older hits back into vogue: “The game provided a larger, new demographic. Generally this had been seen as outdated material, however once it got included in the title and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the outdated tag. It gave our catalog a new life.”
In 2008, the Answer’s debut album was still not available stateside, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the band during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late during travel, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.
Major Band Titles Enduring Influence
Rock’s heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and associated stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the band more money compared to their records. It sold more than half a million copies upon release, and demand for their songs rose of up to 40% at a time when the music business faced decline.
Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Recently, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar mechanics and extensive personalization features. The song is difficult enough on expert mode, let alone performed at double speed and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. They claimed requiring months of practice of practice.
“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you ought to use a real gun and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.
DragonForce previously completed a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that we were records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”
In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has threatened to overshadow all other accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I felt differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has their own musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.
Enduring Legacy from the Iconic Controller
The best marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural urge to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.
The majority of Guitar Hero games came out in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs such as DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.
Games like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene alive, and there’s set to be something from the founders on the way. A new studio has entered production on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?
“Our team believed those games might become similar to sports games where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to continue for future fans.”
